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STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS IN ABU DHABI

In a further sign of the significant role Abu Dhabi has played in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, twofour54, Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment hub has confirmed the Emirate will play host to the Middle East premiere of the film on December 16 at Emirates Palace.

Commenting on the announcement, twofour54’s CEO Noura Al Kaabi said “Having Star Wars: The Force Awakens screen in Abu Dhabi prior to its general release is a real validation for how successful the filming was whilst the production was here. To date, all of the trailers and TV spots for the film have included scenes from Abu Dhabi, which have generated unprecedented excitement around the globe. We are very proud of our achievements and excited for audiences around the world to experience Abu Dhabi on the big screen”.

In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Abu Dhabi plays Jakku, “a frontier desert planet in a remote section of the Outer Rim Territories” according to StarWars.com. With assistance from twofour54 and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission, filming for the movie took place in the Emirate in May 2014 with over 650 crew working across two locations.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is the seventh installment in the franchise and is anticipated to be one of the most successful films of all time.

The Middle East premiere for Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be a red-carpet, invitation-only event brought to the capital by twofour54 in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority and The Walt Disney Company.

About twofour54

twofour54, home to Abu Dhabi’s media and entertainment industry, aims to cultivate Abu Dhabi’s media free zone and provide products and services to attract local, regional and international media businesses to the Emirate. Tasked with enabling a new generation of creative leaders and building Abu Dhabi as the Middle East’s leading hub for content creation, twofour54 provides world-class production facilities, talent development initiatives and training, and business support services for media companies.

Named after the geographical coordinates of Abu Dhabi, twofour54 is now home to 400 media companies – including Sky News Arabia, Image Nation, Ubisoft, CNN, Fox, Flash Entertainment, M&C Saatchi, and Flat6Labs – as well as a bi-lingual freelancer pool and a community of aspiring media talents. twofour54 also supports industry-building initiatives such as Abu Dhabi Media Summit.

twofour54 is a government initiative and is owned by Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi. For more information, visit: www.twofour54.com

About Abu Dhabi Film Commission

Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) facilitates film and TV production projects in Abu Dhabi, helping to build the UAE’s capital as the destination of choice in the MENA region for international and regional TV and film production. ADFC sits under the umbrella of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi.

ADFC assists filming at the Emirate’s most iconic and versatile locations through its support services which include budgeting, scouting for filming locations advice on script clearance, obtaining permits and visas plus access to companies within the UAE who provide production services, equipment and crew.

ADFC also administers a highly successful 30% production rebate scheme, the only cash-back incentive in the region. Introduced in 2012, the scheme has helped to attract some of the industry’s biggest and most popular productions including Disney’s Star Wars: Episode VII, Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 7, Bollywood feature film Bang Bang from Fox Star Studios, BBC’s Top Gear and regional drama production, ‘The Brothers’ / Al Ikwa.